Dreaming

Chapter Three

Chapter Three
Even after that dream, i still didn't pray, it was well wasn't it? My dad was here to pray about it and it will be okay again, I didn't need to worry about it. I had my parents to pray about it for me.
That Thursday evening, I attended a church program that was organized by my church. The preacher invited was talking and said a thing about dreams that stuck with me for some time,
"Dreams can be Revelations, God may be using that your strange dream to save someone's life, it depends on how you receive the dream, it is basically an assignment given to you by God, you can either do this assignment, or not do it, but remember there are always consequences for those who didn't do their assignments."
I thought about this all week, how were we supposed to know it was God's assignment? Because I know the devil liked to have the same powers as God.
A particular sunny afternoon, I decided to have my siesta. And I found myself in an unknown place. It was dark, kind of like a cave of some sort. But I was very sure Okrika did not have any cave.
  I walked forward, I guess I was dreaming again, because I walked forward and reached a place where I saw people.. mostly kids my age. They were incantating, and pointing towards something, on a closer look. I saw it was biscuits, sweets, juice, all things they could use to entice other kids in joining them. I heard the stories, mom always sounded it in my ears,
  "Do not take anything from your class mates!"
She said this to everyone at home, even my step mom's kids. I chuckled, I guess she was very right. On a closer inspection, I saw Terra's classmates among the children. I didn't want to know how they got in. I didn't want my sister in this place no matter what. I didn't know how to wake up, I tried shake myself, I didn't wake. Until I sneezed, I woke up. I ran to Terra's side.
"Hey baby what are you up to?" I asked her.
Her chubby fingers gripped the building blocks she was playing with. Something was in her mouth, preventing her from answering my question. She just waved the block in my face. I chuckled and helped her build.
  ""Hey Terra? Have you taken any sweet from your classmates before?" I asked her. She had not behaved strangely in the past few weeks as many story books had pointed out.
"No I haven't, mom told me not to." She swallowed whatever was in her mouth before answering. I patted her head lovingly.
"That is my girl, don't ever take anything from anyone okay? Or else they will take you away from us." I told her seriously. She nodded in all seriousness.
  Even if she said she would not, I went to the front of her class during recess. We attended the same school, so I just went to her class, if eating my lunch in her class meant she won't collect anything from anyone.
"Hey Ter!" I greeted cheerily as I entered the class. She got up excited. She giggled and clapped her hands. I chuckled at her enthusiasm, and picked her up.
  "Did you learn anything today?" I asked. She nodded vigorously, and started to repeat what she had learnt. My eyes strayed to her classmates. I found them, the ones who were already initiated. They were sitted together, many other students surrounding them as they shared the biscuits and juice with them. I knew what was happening. I stood up and walked to the teacher.
"Ma, excuse me, but I think those boys stole or something, because I'm sure their parents won't give them that much snacks and they are sharing it amongst themselves." I said hurriedly. The teacher looked at them wide eyed and went to stop them, and I quietly exited the class, with Terra in my hand. I didn't want them to know who reported them, or they would go after Terra. I feared what a body of occultists children would do to my baby sister.
That night as I slept, I found myself in the cave from before. I was shocked, why was I still here? Was my sister still at the risk of getting initiated? What was this?
I went close to them,
"Why didn't you share everything??" A lady shouted at the children. The children trembled in fear.
"Our teacher stopped us, and we couldn't find a way to give them out. She seized them." One student explained.
"I thought I told you to find a way to get her out of the class before you start sharing?" The lady asked shaking.
"We forgot." Piped a small voice.
The lady grabbed the boy by his collar, and placed on their altar. I gasped.
"The boy is going to be used as a lesson to all of you... Next time don't you dare forget!" She shouted.
All of them shrieked in fear, the boy on the altar begged and cried. She just laughed, and raised a knife above his chest. I didn't know when I started crying. I picked up a small stone and hit her hoping it would have an effect. And it did, everyone paused, even me. They looked around and didn't find anyone. So I continued throwing stones at them. And they got scared and ran away, even the lady.
  Exhausted, I sat on the floor, tears flowing from my eyes.. that was someone's child that the lady wanted to kill, that could have been my sister.
The next day I went to her class again, and sat with her, at the same time, I monitored the initiated children. The boy that was almost killed sat by himself, face white.. I guess he was still scared. But I couldn't go to him, if I did, the others would take note of Terra, I couldn't let that happen. That day none of them shared anything, and I was happy, more children were safe.
That night I dreaded going to sleep, what if I saw something else, what if they killed someone for real this time. But the tiredness in my bones could not be stopped.
Before I slept, I heard my dad pray, in his prayers, he cancelled all the bad dreams his children would have...
Then I heard a tiny voice whisper to me..
  "That is what you should do."